Hoover's Jennifer Hogan named finalist for National Assistant Principal of the Year

Jennifer Hogan Dec 2017

Jennifer Hogan, an assistant principal at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, shares with physical education and weight training teacher Gabe Rodriguez how to use Google Forms in his instruction during a professional development session in the school library. Hogan on March 5, 2018, was named one of three finalists for National Assistant Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

Jennifer Hogan, an assistant principal at Hoover High School, this week was named one of three finalists for National Assistant Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

The group each year recognizes assistant principals for exemplary efforts in providing high-quality learning opportunities for students and selects three finalists among nominees from each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity and U.S. Department of State Office of Overseas Schools.

Other national finalists this year are Erica Paige of Pelion High School in Pelion, South Carolina, and Justin Szews of Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua, Wisconsin. The winner is to be announced during National Assistant Principals Week, April 9-13.

Hogan is one of six assistant principals working with Hoover High School’s 230 faculty and staff. She oversees curriculum and instruction and is the school’s coordinator for professional learning communities.

Hogan provides support and direction for faculty and staff through tools such as Twitter chats, book clubs and interdisciplinary discussion groups. She also has created several online courses and an app that lists teacher-led professional development sessions.

She is the co-founder of #ALedchat and #USedchat on Twitter and a website called LeadLearning.net, helping educators across the country connect electronically and identify best practices from one another and leaders in the education community.

Hogan works with teachers to think outside the box and to design relevant and engaging lessons that incorporate technology.

She maintains a blog — http://thecompellededucator.com — that attempts to provide teachers with educational-based inspiration and the most up-to-date information in their fields of study.

More than two decades in education

Hogan, a graduate of the former Berry High School, began her career as a science teacher and coach in 1992 at Pelham High School and stayed there four years. She got out of education and ran a gym with her husband for two years but then decided to give education another try.

Since that point, she has never doubted her calling, she said. She went to Vestavia Hills High School, where she spent six years as a teacher and coach and then three years as an assistant principal. She then was principal at Hewitt-Trussville High School for two years before coming to Hoover. At Hoover, she spent two years back in the classroom as a teacher and now is in her seventh year as assistant principal.

She loves running, reading, social media, helping other people achieve their goals and spending time with her family and friends, she said. She and her husband, Tim, have two daughters.